After this war, tourism will change sides.

                                                                                        Mouhamed Faouzou Déme,     

                                                                      President of the African Francophone Tourism Council 

Dear friends of the world, dear tourism stakeholders

World Tourism Alert: Let us all speak with one voice to save the tourism industry.

Let us be cautious; let us call for a peaceful world, for lasting peace, for respect for rules, norms, rights, and freedoms. War is more harmful to global tourism than epidemics. What emerges day after day is incompatible with tourism; let us be aware of the serious consequences it has for employment, the economy, the environment, health, etc.

Regardless of the size of the world, we live in a village interconnected by invisible bridges that lead to all borders.

Saving tourism means saving war; avoiding war means opening up opportunities.

What would the future of Africa and its tourism hold?

After this war, tourism will change sides. Iran will see its tourism surge in the coming years, as will Israel, if any remains, and this will mean a decline in American tourism.

Already, with Trump's immigration policy and speeches, the US has lost a lot of tourists this summer. There will be a new global ranking for tourism, with the effects of the war and a shrinking market share for countries economically affected by the war. Solutions for recovery are now being devised with a resilience plan to support and assist stakeholders around the world, because tourism is an export product.

The Middle East and the Gulf countries, including Dubai, will suffer from this war if it drags on over time, pending negotiations and discussions around the new world order and the peace plan that would be implemented. Today, Spain reigns supreme in European and global tourism, with the election of the new UN Secretary General. Tourism from the Gulf region, whose ambition was to redraw the world's tourism map, will see its project taken aback by the geopolitical and geostrategic realities of the war against Iran, which, it must be said, is not a tourist destination to be neglected, and which will inevitably see its tourism increase by a few points after the return to normal.

But in all this, who will be the big loser if not Africa and America?

Africa must come together now to find alternative solutions to the looming crisis, which risks accentuating unemployment, the loss of purchasing power, and poverty in certain regions. Heavily indebted countries will struggle to raise funds for investment and will face very high interest rates, which once again raises the issue of the independence and sovereignty of peoples and least developed countries.

This is no longer the time for words; we must move on to concrete actions to save our populations, our economies, and our integrity.

Certainly, at the end of this war, some politicians will better understand the role and importance of tourism in our economies.

Mouhamed Faouzou Déme, World Tourism Hero, President of the African Francophone Tourism Council and former candidate for the position of Secretary General of the UN Tourism